Bronx Brewery Set to Expand

Get ready, South Bronx: A new tasting room and outdoor beer haven is on its way. Damian Brown, co-founder and head brewer of Bronx Brewery, along with partner and general manager Chris Gallant, signed a lease on a new space on East 136th Street in the Port Morris neighborhood--between the Cypress Avenue 6 train stop and the East River--that's just over 8,000 square feet.

Originally an ironworks building that later housed a lace factory, the structure is slated to become the Bronx Brewery production facility, which will include a new canning line and tasting room. Brown hopes to utilize the 6,000-square-foot outdoor space for tastings, a dog run, and perhaps some food trucks. "People can bring their dogs and go taste a few beers," Brown says.

Bronx Brewery sold its first keg in 2011 and has experienced a swift expansion since. Most exciting to Brown is the brewery's new space for barrels. "We're going to be buying dozens and dozens of barrels," he says. "We're going to have two barrel-aged beers available year-round, aged in bourbon barrels and zinfandel barrels." The brewery plans to age each of its previous year's pale ales to release the following season. There will also be "a bunch of one-off releases," Brown promises; the brewmaster plans to utilize unique barrel finds, like a tequila barrel recently brought up from Mexico.

The equipment for the new facility has been purchased and Brown says they hope to "bid out all of the work by the end of next month. From there, a couple months of construction and demolition."

The guys plan to have the new space up and running by the end of the year.